In a statement delivered at the international conference in Dushanbe, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon noted on October 18 that Tajikistan is at the forefront of the fight against the threat of extremism and terrorism, and “we are protecting not only the region, but also territories beyond from the catastrophic consequences of this phenomenon.”
According to him, given the difficult situation in the region, the Government of Tajikistan pays an utmost attention to the constant strengthening of the protection of the state border and takes necessary actions to prevent the cross-border transfer of terrorist fighters, drugs and weapon trafficking, and other transnational crimes.
With a view to improving the state border protection process, Tajikistan in 2010 adopted the National Border Management Strategy and its Action Plan on Border Protection System Reform for the period until 2025 with the support of international partners.
“It should be emphasized that under the current circumstances, the transfer of terrorist fighters from the war-torn areas of the Middle East to other regions and the strengthening of the positions of international terrorist organizations in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to the Central Asian nations,” said Tajik leader. “Imposing extremist ideas on the minds of young people and the existence of so-called international extremist and terrorist "silent groups" are among the serious threats to the security of the region.”
According to him, the terrorist groups continue their attempts to cross borders in the remote areas with geographical and climatic difficulties.
Rahmon noted that taking into account the current security situation, the international community should understand that the extremism and terrorism with all its rude manifestations do not associate with any nationality, religion and citizenship.
According to him, the constructive cooperation of the international community is the only main way to effective counteraction in order to eliminate the issue of terrorism.
Rahmon noted the importance of real and transparent cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism. He pointed to the necessity of ensuring the protection of borders.
“Tajikistan and Afghanistan have 1400 kilometers of border line with complicated mountainous terrain, which makes up about 60 percent of the borders of Central Asian countries with this country,” said the Tajik president. “In such circumstances, we are taking necessary measures to strengthen the borders and over the past two years we have built and put into use more than 175 border facilities. It is worth mentioning that at the same time the construction of 30 other facilities is going on, and we need to build another 300 of this kind of facilities in the future.”
He pointed to the necessity of urgent efforts to implement the initiative of Tajikistan – the concept of "Security Belt" around Afghanistan in order to prevent and reduce the consequences of dangers and threats.
“In order to prevent the activities of terrorists, it is necessary for the states to implement control measures in accordance with their commitments and within the framework of international law while protecting the borders,” Rahmon said, noting that nowadays, we observe that terrorists and extremists make good use of the institution of "refugee" and "asylum seeker" and abuse the trust of advanced countries.
“From this point of view, it is necessary to review the human values and human rights separately from terrorism and extremism, to not give shelter to those involved in terrorist acts and those, who are found guilty for such actions, and to arrest and prosecute such persons in time.”
He also noted that it is important to ensure reliable border security in order to prevent the threat of terrorists and extremists through land, air and sea borders.
It should be emphasized that an effective fight against modern destructive phenomena requires taking collective measures, Rahmon added.
